Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Lemon Honey Chicken
Sticky lemon honey chicken has a cheerful, tangy sweetness, with a glossy coating that clings to the browned skin. The fresh zest at the end gives you a good reason to lean in toward the plate.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 15 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 10 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Mix the sauce first
Whisk the wine, tomato paste, honey, lemon juice and salt together before seasoning and flouring the chicken.
2. Brown both sides
Start the chicken skin-side down in the hot pan and turn it once the skin is golden and crisp.
3. Simmer under cover
After draining excess oil and adding the sauce, lower the heat and cover the pan until the chicken is cooked through.
Get to know the ingredients
Skin-on, boneless thighs
Use the boneless thighs with their skin still on; that skin gets browned before the chicken simmers in sauce.
Save the lemon rind
After juicing the lemon, keep the rind for zesting over the plated chicken as the final garnish.
A dusting of flour
Season the chicken with salt and pepper first, then dust it with the flour before it goes into the pan.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 6 steps completeMake room for Lemon Honey Chicken
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Add the fresh zest
Once the sauce has caramelized around the chicken, plate the pieces and zest lemon over the top before serving.
A little more help as you go
Drain excess oil first
Use a paper towel to remove excess oil from the pan before adding the whisked sauce and covering the chicken.
Turn through the reduction
After uncovering, raise the heat and flip the chicken repeatedly so the reducing sauce caramelizes around its outside.
A few questions you might have
Does garlic go into the sauce bowl?
Add the minced garlic to the hot frying pan with the olive oil and chicken, after whisking the separate sauce.
When should I remove the lid?
Keep the pan covered while the chicken simmers until cooked through, then uncover for the sauce-reduction stage.
Is tomato paste cooked separately?
Whisk it directly with the wine, honey, lemon juice and salt to make the sauce before it goes into the pan.
Do I add the sauce before browning?
Brown both sides of the chicken first, drain excess oil, then add the sauce and lower the heat for simmering.
What tells me the sauce finishing stage is complete?
Keep turning the cooked chicken through the reducing sauce until it has caramelized around the outside of the pieces.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: norecipes.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
